Leadership - Cells for Cells

Leadership Team

Some of the extraordinary people who embody our mission and go above and beyond for the health of those in need.

Minds and souls driven by a higher mission

We are motivated by our leadership team to create exceptional biotechnology platforms that can revolutionize the industry. Their insights and original visions encourage us to find innovative solutions to high-impact diseases affecting millions of patients worldwide, not just by assisting us in developing new medicines but also by influencing our wider constructive role in society.

Success is a team sport. It requires dedication, inspiration, and passion, and one can never get that without cultivating a culture of trust, mutual respect, and empowerment. As you read through these lines, these extraordinary people are working diligently around the clock, trailblazing the field of cell and gene therapy and tissue engineering so that, sooner than later, patients can access a newer and improved generation of transformative therapies.

Strategy and Administration

Matías Vial

Co-founder and Chair of the Board

Matías Vial has a degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Innovation from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with more than 24 years of professional experience in the creation, development, leadership, and management of national and international companies. Matías has more than 15 years of experience in different positions within Universidad de Los Andes and has co-founded six companies, four of them in the field of biotechnology, helping to raise more than 50 million dollars in public and private funds. Also, he received the Annual "Management and Innovation" Award from the ESE Business School Alumni Association and other recognitions from CORFO (Chile's primary Public Institution for Innovation Funding).

Maroun Khoury, Ph.D.

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Khoury obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Montpellier, France, focusing on gene therapy in joint diseases. He then enrolled in a postdoctoral program at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This experience was followed by a position at the MIT-Singapore alliance for research and technology (SMART), Singapore, where he worked on hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells. Dr. Khoury joined Cells for Cells in September 2012 as Chief Scientific Officer, establishing in parallel the nanoRegenerative Medicine research laboratory at the Universidad de Los Andes. With 15+ years of translational experience in biomedical research and more than 100 publications, he provides invaluable insight into the company's long-term strategy. Currently, Dr. Khoury also holds positions as Director of IMPACT, the Center of Excellence associated with Cells for Cells and Universidad de Los Andes, and as a member of ISCT’s exclusive Strategic Advisory Board.

Maximiliano Kunze, M.Eng

Associate Director of Business Development and Strategy

Maximiliano Kunze Küllmer is a Biomedical Engineer with double Minors in Biomaterials and Innovation from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He obtained his Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, specializating in Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials. At the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), he advanced key industry initiatives such as the A-Gene project and the Therapeutic Developers’ Statement of Principles on the ethical use of gene editing in the wake of the 2019 CRISPR-baby scandal. Max is a International Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT)’s Early-Stage Professional Leaders and a member of ISCT’s Business Development & Finance Subcommittee since 2021. Today, as Associate Director of Business Development and Strategy, Max is spearheading Cells for Cells’ internationalization, fundraising and partnering efforts.

Research and Development

Juan Pablo Acevedo, Ph.D.

Director of the Tissue Engineering and Biofabrication Division

Juan Pablo Acevedo studied biology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad de Chile, and did his postdoctoral work at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. His expertise in tissue engineering, biomaterials, and microfluidics led him to join Harvard-MIT's Division of Health Science and Technology as a Research Fellow. Juan Pablo is the author of 10+ technology patents, author of 25+ scientific publications, and has been the director of 9 technology development projects. For his career and the impact of his work in biomedical research and development, he was chosen as one of the 100 young leaders of Chile in 2016, a recognition given by El Mercurio, the country's main newspaper. In 2020 he was chosen among the 5 finalists of the Innovative Scientist Award by the Ministry of Science and led the project that won the Avonni 2020 National Innovation Award. Juan Pablo is also passionate about the commercial aspects that favor clinical translation, becoming an "Intrapreneur" within Cells for Cells. He is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at the Universidad de Los Andes.

Diego Castro, M.Sc.

Project Manager

Diego Castro is a biotechnology engineer from the University of Santiago de Chile and holds both a Master of Science in Biotechnology and Enterprise from the University of Manchester, England, and a postgraduate degree in Innovation and Business Profitability from Universidad de los Andes. Joining Cells for Cells’ team at the end of 2018, Diego has applied his expertise in the management of biomedical projects, budgeting, intellectual property strategy of the company and corporate representation in front of Chilean governmental agencies.

Jimena Cuenca, Ph.D.

Head of Bioprocessing Division

Jimena Cuenca is a biochemist from Universidad de Chile, Chile. She then moved to Madrid, Spain, where she obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). Currently, she works as a Professor and researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Los Andes, as well as holding a position as a Principal Investigator at Cells for Cells and Regenero, the Chilean Regenerative Medicine Consortium. Dr. Cuenca is part of the Laboratory of Nano-Regenerative Medicine, located in the Center for Biomedical Research and Innovation (CIIB). Her research lines include Cell Therapy, Immunomodulatory effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Mitochondrial Therapy, Mechanisms in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Bioprocessing.

Francisca Alcayaga, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator, Exosomes

Dr. Alcayaga obtained her veterinary degree from Universidad Mayor, Chile. She also received a Ph.D. from Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain. From 2006 to 2010, Francisca contributed to the development of oncolytic adenoviruses, a class of targeted anticancer therapy, as part of her Ph.D. thesis. She was one of Cells for Cells’ first scientists, joining in 2011. As principal investigator, she is currently focused on studying small extracellular vesicles as therapeutic agents to treat solid tumors and degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis. She is also the author of more than 20 original articles, reviews, and book chapters in oncology, regenerative medicine, and exosome fields. Currently, Dra. Alcayaga heads the exosome research group at Cells for Cells and IMPACT while holding a position as Associate Professor at the Universidad de Los Andes’ School of Medicine.

Medical

Dr. Francisco Espinoza

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Francisco Espinoza graduated from the School of Medicine in 2006 and, since then, has been linked with Universidad de Los Andes. He currently works as a Deputy Medical Director at the Clínica Universidad de Los Andes, and as Chief Medical Officer of Cells for Cells. Since graduating as a physician, he continued studying and specializing both in Chile and abroad: he completed his specialty in Internal Medicine at Universidad de Los Andes and then a subspecialty in Rheumatology at the University of Montpellier (France) between 2012 and 2014. Dr. Espinoza then traveled to the United States for a Clinical Fellowship in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). A recognized international leader in his field, Francisco has a strong background in successfully planning and directing clinical trials for various medical indications.

Dr. Fernando Figueroa

Co-founder

Dr. Figueroa completed his clinical training at the University of Montpellier, France, and with a Fogarty fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and as a visiting researcher at Rockefeller University in New York. He joined the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 1988 and then, from the beginning of his medical career, at the Universidad de Los Andes in 1992, in charge of the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology. Simultaneously, he worked as Clinical Director and then as Dean of the Faculty until 2004. In 2006, Dr. Figueroa initiated research in Cell Therapy at the Universidad de Los Andes. The remarkable results would support the foundation of Cells for Cells, a company he established with the aim of promoting sustainable research of high impact and clinical applicability. Since then, Fernando has contributed to the clinical and basic research of this group and to the company's Strategic Committee, although without becoming a shareholder in order to avoid conflicts of interest with the practice of medicine.

Leadership Team

Some of the extraordinary people who embody our mission and go above and beyond for the health of those in need.

Minds and souls driven by a higher mission

Strategy and Administration

Research and Development

Medical

GMP Manufacturing

External Collaborators and Advisors

Vascular Surgeon

Dr. Francisco Vargas

Traumatologist and Orthopedic surgeon

Dr. José Matas

Traumatologist and Orthopedic surgeon

Dr. Manuel Pellegrini